Sunday, March 31, 2013

As I have alluded to in previous posts, much of the book deals with the Garage Rock, and psychedelia scene in Charlotte, and North Carolina during the 1960s. We do touch on some of the Beach Music, Soul and Frat Rock (i.e. bands on college campuses), but much of our focus is on that section that was influenced by the British Invasion, and the bands that came after that initial wave.

That being said, there are some fantastic sites that cover Beach Music, R&B and Soul throughout the Southeast US during the '60s. Check out the book, and resource site for Beach Music-

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Here's a band that never recorded a song, but left behind some cool photos. This is the Outcasts, formed in Charlotte in 1966. The band featured Gill Vanderlip, who went on to play in the Loose Screws, who are featured in the book. Our thanks to Gill for this photo.
photo copyright 1966 Gill Vanderlip

Friday, March 22, 2013

Let's go to Winston-Salem, which had a thriving scene in the mid to late 1960s. One of the most popular bands during that time was Sacred Irony. Led by Chuck Dale Smith and a young Mitch Easter, they played throughout the region, opened up for the Yellow Payges, backed up Bobby Sherman, and looked and sounded like a very cool band. The band did a series of recordings in 1969 and 1970, with the song "I See Love" getting airplay in Winston-Salem, and the surrounding areas. Mitch Easter is one of the many featured interviews in There Was A Time. Until then, enjoy "I See Love."

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Barry Stacks: A couple of days before we recorded “Catch A Ride,” the Stones released “Satisfaction.” And I heard that fuzztone, and I went to a music store, and I said, “What is that? Whatever it is, I want one.” And they said, “We just got one in. It’s called the Fuzztone.” On the way to the studio, sitting in the back of our van, I worked out that little guitar part in the beginning of that song. We rehearsed it a couple of times, and Manny Clark, who was a DJ with WGIV, produced the song for us and got the sound just right. Just where I wanted it, which was balls to the wall on it, when the song opened up. We actually did the music take in two takes, and then we added the vocals on top of it. And then we did ["In My Life"] for the other side.

We had booked [Arthur Smith Studios] for four hours, eight o’clock till midnight. The guy that was running the board for Arthur Smith said we had to be packed up and out of there by midnight. I said, “What are you talking about?” He said, “We’re booked all night, after midnight.” We did what we had to do, but as we were packing up, this other band comes in to start setting up, and it was James Brown and the Famous Flames. And Manny knew James, he’d interviewed him many times. And James said, “Why don’t you and your boys sit up in the control room while we record.” They recorded eight or ten songs, then they headed out on the chitlin circuit.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sadly, we don't know that much about what the Rock scene was like in the Western NC in the 1960s. It does seem like Rock & Roll was slow to come to the Mountains, with folk-pop and beach music bands ruling the roost. One group that straddled the folk-rock fence was the Ron-De-Voos, a popular band from Asheville. The group was popular for a number of years, and graduated from Lee Edwards High School in 1969.

Their sole single is definitely worth a listen. Here's both sides of their single, via the fantastic Spin The Groove blog. The A Side, "A Trip So Wild", can also be found on Youtube. Do you have more information about this band? Please drop us a line,
-Daniel
March 6, 2013

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Part of my enjoyment in doing this book was discovering the music that was happening throughout North Carolina in the 1960s, and the towns and cities where Rock & Roll. Take Lumberton, NC, for instance. Lumberton had a thriving scene in the mid to late 1960s, which included the Young Ones (who later changed their name to Psychic Motion), and the Cykle. The Young Ones' second single, "Big Teaser" is just a fun romp of a Rock & Roll song. Big choruses, a well-produced recording, and a mighty two-minute glimpse into what was coming out of Eastern NC.

Check out this Youtube clip of the song, complete with photos of the band in their heyday. Of all the bands of that time that I wish I could've seen live, this is one of the highest on my list. Enjoy!
-Daniel
March 3, 2013

About Me

I have been a traveler, a documentarian, an enjoyer of life, a survivor, a lead character, a supporting role, a storyteller, an excitable boy, a quiet soul, and an occasional thinker. All when the world asked me to, or all at the same time.